Two-stage gravity flow wet end paper making machine



June 30, 1936. G. T. LANE ET'AL 2,046,270

TWO-STAGE GRAVITY FLOW WET END PAPER MAKING MACHINE Filed Nov. 25, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 GezvuIdTLaue &

31 V21 d'ou't Jupe 30, 1936.

G. T. LANE ET AL,

- TWO-STAGE GRAVITY FLOW WET END PAPER MAKING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 25, v 1933 Patented June 30, 1936 PATENT OFFICE TWO-STAGE GRAVITY FLOW WET PAPER MAKING MACHINE Geronld '1'. Lane and Wendell' nutte -ans, Rochester, N. Y., assignors to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester,

New York Application November 25, 1933, Serial No. 699,776

H. Y., a corporation of Claims. (01. 92-43) g This invention relates to paper making machines, and particularly to the type 01 paper' making machines. wherein an endless making wire travels through a fixed path about a cylinder at one end, the cylinder being immersed in a fiow box.

It is a well-known fact that in order to lay fibers closely together to produce a fine, strong paper, it is necessary to beat the fibers quite thoroughly reducing them to quite a short length. This reduces the strength of the papers but per- .mits the fibers to be laid closely together.

It is also well known that strong paper requires a much longer fiber, but if longer. fibers vide a mabhine which is capable of making a paper in which long fibers are used with a comparatively great amount of water for making a fine grade of strong paper. Another object of our invention is to provide a machine in which the fibers are laid on the making wire during its passagearound the greater part of the periphery of the drum. Another object of our invention is tolay a. large number of fibers on the making wire during the time the wire is passing around a portion of the cylinder immersed in the flow box. Another object of our invention is to provide a paper making machine in which the making wire leaves the cylinder in a substantially horizontal direction and in which the level of the stufi is higher than the top of the making wire. vention is to provide a machine in which the wire is well covered with fibers before leaving the drum and to provide a machine which fiows a layer'of stuif over the fibers already laid on they wire as the wire leaves the drum. Other objects will appear from the following specification, the novel features being particularly pointed out in the claims at the end thereof.

Coming nowto the drawings wherein like reference characters denote like parts throughout:

Figure 1 is a part side elevationand part section of a machine constructed in accordance with and embodying a preferred form of our invention.

Figure'2 is a top plan view'of the machine shown in Figure 1. v Figure 3 is a cross section on line 3-3 oi. Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail view of a por- Still another object of our intion of a cylinder with the sealing ring and deckie straps shown in sealing relation.

In accordance with our invention, our paper making machine may consist of a drum I around which 9. making wire 2 passes, this wire passing around'a large part of the periphery of drum I, over a series of guide rollers 3, beneath a top couch roller 4, around a suction couch or plain couch roller 5, and thence toward the drum I, again passing over an adjustable guide roll 8. The making wire is an endless wire belt oi suitable width and mesh.

v The drum I is carried in a flow box having parallel side walls 1 to which the edges of the drum may be sealed in any suitable manner,

such as by gaskets or by deckle straps. As. shown in Fig. 4 we prefer to provide a sealing ring 8 on the walls I this ring having a flange 8a of complementary shape to the flange la 01' the drum. The deckle straps I9, by lying over the complementary flanges form a moisture tight joint around all of that part oi. the drum I and wire 2 which lies in the flow box.

The drum may turn upon hollow trunnions 9. Towards the bottom of the walls I there are prelerably provided a pair of outlet pipes l0 and II which may be used to control the level of the water in the drum.

The drum is suspended in the flow box which receives the mixed stufl through a pipe I2 from a head box l3. The elevation of the stuff in the head box I3 may be controlled in any suitable manner. It is desirable to maintain the level of the stuif at point where the making wire leaves the cylinderat Ilat a somewhat higher level than the horizontal reach of the wire 2 leaving the drum. 7

In order to accomplish this the stufl! in the box I3 should be kept at the proper level, and we also provide an adjustable slice II which can be moved The fiow box is provided with a tortuous channel or passage formed by the baiiies I8. A valve I! may be used to assist in regulating the flow oi stuir from escaping from the flow box at the point where the drum I and wire lenter the box.

The usual type of deckle straps I 9 are employed, these straps passing over a series of guide the deckle straps l9 so that these straps may be kept at the desired tension.

As best shown in Figure 3, the slice i5 may be moved in slotted 'guideways 22 by means of the hand wheel nuts 23 which are threaded on the connecting rods 24 attached to the slice l5. By turning these nuts, the space between the bot-- tom of the slice and the top of the making wire 2 can be nicely adjusted so that the desired amount i of stufl' may flow out over .the fibers already laid on the making wire.

The outlet pipes l and Ii are provided with suitable controlling valves 20 and 2i so that the level L of the water inside of the drum 4 can be controlled. As the stud flows through the flow box the fibers start. to form on the making wire as soon as the wire passes the apron I8. As the drum turns, the layer of fibers gradually becomes thicker on the making wire 2. during the time the wire, is passing through the fiow box because water drains through the wire and drum and may be drained from the drum by means of the pipes l0 and I Thus, by the time the wire reaches the horizontal reach away from the drum, a layer of considerable thickness of moist fibers has been deposited on the wire. This layer may be substantially sufficient for the desired paper.

In order to prevent the washing 0d of fibers at the point where the wire leaves the top of the pool of stock in the fiow box, we have raised the level of the stuff as above described. This is an important point 01 our invention because we have found that by flowing even a thin layer of stufl over the fibers already laid on the wire, the uneven effect caused by the fibers washing ofi is entirely overcome. a

Moreover,. there is an additional advantage in Iorming a paper web in this way. Where long fibers are used and where it is necessary to lay the fibers closely to make a strong, firm sheet of paper, it is necessary to use a large quantity of water. In fact, the reason why long-fiber, close-- ly formed paper is not common is because it is impossible to get a sufiicientquantity of water to felt the fibers ,closely and to remove the water with the known types of paper making machines.

With our present machine, however, it will be noted that a large part oi? the water is drained from the fibers laid on the making .wire 2 during the time the wire passes around that part or the drum which is immersed in the fiow box, beneath the surface or the stuflr In addition water also Passes through the making wire during its run away from the in a horizontal direction. Thus the machine may be considered as a twostaze gravity fiow wet end machine in that the fibers are laid on the wire on two stages, the first being as the wire passes around the drum and the second stage being as the wire passes from the drum'although, or course, these two stages -actually torm a single continuous operation.

As indicated in Figure 1, a large part of the periphery-or the drum is used for this purpose. Substantially 270 is employed in the present embodiment of our invention, and even this may be increased slightly by changing the construction of the flow-box. While, of course, the fibers laid on the making wire 2 as it passes around the drum i are in a very moist condition, nevertheless, a relatively large number of long fibers can be successively laid on the wire 2 so that by the time the wire leaves the drum, the felt contains a sufilcient number of fibers to make a satisfactory paper web.

However, an additional layer of stufi is fiowed over the fibers beneath the slice i5 asthe wire moves horizontally away from the cylinder, because this is effective to prevent any unevenness in the felt and to prevent the washing ofi of fibers which has been extremely difficult, if not impossible, to overcome with known types of paper making machines.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a paper making machine, the combination with a fiow box, adapted to contain stufl, of a foraminous cylinder mounted in the fiow box, an endless making wire extending around a portion of the drum and out over the top thereof, an apron between the making wire carried by the cylinder and the fiow box to prevent stufi! from leaking through at the place where the making wire carried by the cylinder enters the flow box, means to drain water from the,drum whereby fibers may be felted on the wire beneath the surface of the stuff in the flow box, and means for maintaining the level of the stuff at a height sufiicient to flow out over the felted fibers on the wire as it leaves the cylinder comprising an adjustable slice movably mounted with respect to the drum.

2. In a paper making machine, the combination with a head box adapted to contain a supply oi stufi, of a flow box in which a i'oraminous cylinder is mounted, a making wire passing around said cylinder, means for controlling the water level in the cylinder, and means including the head box for maintaining the level of the stufl in the fiow box at such a level that ,stock is flowed over the cylinder and making wire as it leaves the cylinder whereby washing of! of the fibers deposited on the making wire is prevented. J

3. In a paper making machine, the combinationwith a head box adapted to contain stufl of a flow box in which a foraminous cylinder is mounted, a making wire passing around said cylinder', means for controlling the water level in the cylinder, ,and means including the head box anda slice for maintaining the stufiin thefiow box at such a level that stock is flowed over the cylinder and making wire as it leaves the cylinder whereby washing ofl of the fibers deposited on the making wire is prevented.

4. In a paper making machine, the combination with a head box adapted to contain stufi. of a flow box. in which a foraminous cylinder is mounted, a making wire passing around said cylinder, means for controlling the water level in the cylinder, and means including the head box and agnovably mounted slice for maintaining the level of the stuff in the fiow box at .such a level that a controlled flow of stock is flowed over the cylinder and making wire as the making wireleaves the cylinder, whereby washing ed 01' the fibers de posited on the making wire is prevented.

5.v In a paper making machine, the combination with a head box adapted to contain stufi', of a flow box in which a ioraminous cylinder is mounted. a making wire passing around the cylinder and out over the top hereof, means for guiding a portially horizontally from the cylinder, means including the head box for maintaining the level of the stuff in the flow box at a level higher than that ofthe horizontal reach of the making wire whereby washing oif of the fibers deposited on the wire is prevented.

6. In a paper making machine, the combination with a flow box adapted to contain stuff, of

a foraminous cylinder mounted to turn therein and having'the edges thereof sealed against the flow box, a making wire passing around the cylinder and passing substantially horizontally from the top of the cylinder over guide rolls and back to the cylinder, means for felting fibers on the wire beneath the surface of the stuff in the flow box including pipes for draining water from the drum, means for flowing the stuif in the fiow box through a channel around at least half of the periphery of the cylinder whereby a substantial felt of fibers may be laid on the wire in the flow box beneath the surface of the stuff and a slice for controlling the fiow of stuff over'the felted fibers on the making wire as the wire leaves the drum to maintain an even layer of-fibers on the making wire.

'7. In a paper making machine, the combination with a flow box, of a foraminous cylinder mounted in the flow box adapted to contain stufi, an endless making wire extending around a large part of the periphery of the-cylinder and passing to and from the cylinder over guide rollers, and

passing from the cylinder over the top thereof in a substantially horizontal direction, means for maintaining the level of the stuff in the flow box at sufficient height to cover the drum and to flow over the making wire leaving the drum, means for withdrawing water from the drum wherebyfibers may be felted on the making wire as it passes about the drum beneath the surface'of the stufif, the first-mentioned means also controlling the flow of stuff over the horizontal run of the makingwire as it leaves the top of the cylinder whereby athin layer of stuff may be flowed over the felted fibers carried on the making wire, and wash-off lines on the paper may be prevented,

8. In apaper making machine, the combination with a flow box adapted to contain stufi, of a foraminous cylinder mounted in the flow box, an 5 endless making wire extending around a portion of the drum and passing from the drum in a sub-' stantially horizontal run, an apron between the making wire carried by the cylinder and the fiow box-to prevent. stuflf from leaking through at the place where the making wire carried by the cylinder enters the fiow box, means to drain water from the drum whereby fibers may be'felted on the wire beneath the surface of the stuff in the flow box, and means for maintaining the level of the stuff in the flow box at a height sufilcient to flow out over the felted fibers on the wire as the wire leaves the top of the drum in a horizontal run, whereby wash-01f lines caused by the felted fibers being drawn from the stuff may be pie-.20 vented.

9.- The process of making paper. which comprises forming a web of paper from stufi upon a suitable carrier passing-through a pool of stuff, maintaining said carrier in a substantially horlzontal plane for. an appreciable interval of time as it passes from the pool of stuff, and-flowing over said carrier and web formed thereon additional stufi directly from the pool while said carrier is in said horizontal position, and draining and drying the web thus formed.

10. The process of making paper which comprises gradually and continuously forming a web of paper from fibers accumulating on a suitable carrier beneath the surface of a pool of stuff, passing the carrier from the stuff in a substantially horizontaldirection, flowing over the carrier and fibers first laid thereon additional stufi directly from the pool while said carrier is in a substan-, tially horizontal position and draining and drying the fibers thus laid upon the carrier.

GEROUID T. LANE. WENDELL BU'I'I'ERFIELD. 

